Fundraising is a way of life, be it a night at your local Mickey D's benefitting your child's school, or the black-tie $150.00 a plate dinner for a local foundation- there are so many causes that are looking for additional funding, wouldn't you agree?
When Annie asked me to write an auction blog, I was a little hesitant. What do I know about auctions and fundraising? "A lot!" she said, and within two days of being asked, here we are. Annie has a way with motivating people- and hopefully this blog will be motivating as well.
First, let me fill you in on a little of my background. After a long stint in the entertainment industry, (records, video, internet content) I found myself with no income, so I began selling all of the promotional items in the garage on eBay. That was 2001. Fast forward to today. My wife, Helene and I are now the owners of iSold It Chatsworth, California- part of the iSold It LLC- the largest auction dropoff store chain worldwide. Being one of the first to open a store, we had the good fortune of working with Elise Wetzel, who founded the chain. Elise realized that fundraising by selling items on eBay was an untapped market. Helene and I have found that the sky's the limit for your group or organization selling online, be it on ebay, yahoo, amazon, ubid, or half.com.
I am privileged to be on the Board of Directors of The Cabrito Foundation, a non-profit men's recovery home in Canoga Park. In just under a year, I have learned much more about fundraising than I could ever imagine. We just had our first annual St. Patrick's Day Bingo Night, and with only a month of preparation, we raised almost $4,000 for the house. This included the 50/50 raffles (one for those not present, one for those present) a Chinese auction of items, selling of snacks, and of course Bingo.
Even though I'm writing this blog, you the readers of www.fundraisers.com are really going to be the ones to contribute as much as I. Over the coming months, I want to hear from you. Tell us about your successes, and your failures, ask questions, and offer advice. Feel free to contribute anything relating to how you generated income thru an auction event- celebrity, live auctioneer, Chinese, silent, or selling your items on an online auction site.
Let me start with a tip that we found out running our iSold it store. Many organizations receive contributions of merchandise, gift certificates and other merchandise that may remain unsold at events. Don't sell them for less than they're worth. Go to your local auction drop off store and tell them you are a charity and you need them to sell some items for you at a reduced commission. They won't say no. If they do, let us know about them, and I will personally give them a call. These items shouldn't be sitting around unsold until your next event. They can generate income for your organization at auction. The best thing is, those donors will donate again and again- especially if they see and hear their donations are making a difference for your cause.
Once again you are invited to email me, and I will answer the emails in the Fundraisers Auction Blog using my experience and the resources of fundraisers.com. We'll have fun and share knowledge about the auction fundraising area.Richard Chemelrichard@fundraisers.com